[MUSIC PLAYING]
CARLOS LAGO: This pairing doesn't seem to make sense.
Right?
Or does it?
This Tesla Model Y is not only an all electric vehicle,
it's also an all wheel drive SUV.
And Alistair over there is in a Chevrolet Corvette,
which is a rear drive sports car with a 495 horsepower 6.2 liter
V8.
Hi, Alistair.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Hi, Carlos.
On the face of it then, this doesn't make sense,
but let's look at it from another perspective.
These are both enthusiast-friendly,
highly desirable, high-performance motor
vehicles, and besides that, we own both of them
as part of our Edmunds long term test fleet.
And so we thought we'd put them head to head
and see which one wins.
CARLOS LAGO: Now this Tesla Model Y
is the performance spec, and we got the optional performance
upgrade that's now rolled into the car when you get it.
But anyway, we call it, affectionately,
the Model Y Performance Performance,
and we paid about $70,000 for it.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: And this Chevrolet Corvette, we
could also call the Performance Performance
because it's got all go-faster goodies
in it-- the Z51 package, the sports
suspension, the sports exhaust, and of course, most importantly
of all, red seatbelts, which was my contribution
to the configuration.
CARLOS LAGO: Total cost of that Corvette was roughly $80,000.
What happens when they line up in a heads-up drag race,
we'll find out.
But first, if you like seeing videos like this
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ALISTAIR WEAVER: Let's race.
CARLOS LAGO: Alistair, does the Corvette
have a fart on demand mode?
[CAR MAKING A FARTING SOUND]
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Only when I terrify the passenger.
[CAR MAKING A FARTING SOUND]
I just never get tired of it.
It's always funny.
CARLOS LAGO: It's never not funny.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: If my mum was in the car,
it would not be funny.
CARLOS LAGO: Who's going to win between this drag race?
I honestly don't know.
Model Y will definitely get the initial launch,
but the launch control in that Corvette is pretty good.
It is cold out today, and the tire temperature matters more
for that Corvette than it does for this all wheel drive Model
Y.
I suspect the Model Y will get the first part of the race,
like the 30 or 40 miles an hour.
Then Corvette should slowly reel it
in as the race goes on longer, just because that's
what I'd like to see, I guess.
I don't know.
This is good testing.
This is science.
[CAR MAKING A FARTING SOUND]
ALISTAIR WEAVER: So I should win.
American brute horsepower, mid engine, rear wheel drive,
supercar versus electric SUV.
Apart from the fact that he has all wheel drive,
and it's called Performance Performance,
I reckon this is going to be super close.
Super close.
[CAR MAKING A FARTING SOUND]
So to get the Corvette ready, I've
selected track mode, but I've also activated the PTM--
that's Performance Traction Management--
which effectively decouples the traction control,
fiddles around with the stability control system,
so we should now get launch control.
So left foot on the brake, right foot on the throttle,
and ta-ra, Tesla.
Translation-- "goodbye, Tesla."
CARLOS LAGO: This, of course, doesn't have launch control.
You just hit the accelerator pedal as hard as you can,
and that's it.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: I'm ready.
CREW: (SPEAKING OVER THE RADIO) Counting off the drivers.
3, 2, 1, go!
CARLOS LAGO: Whoa!
It's pretty close!
ALISTAIR WEAVER: This is ridiculously close.
Oh, he's pulling away.
Detroit horses.
CARLOS LAGO: Oh!
Woo!
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Took control at the end.
CARLOS LAGO: How cool?
ALISTAIR WEAVER: I'm having to break for turn one.
That was mighty close 'til we kept going.
CARLOS LAGO: That was so close.
How cool was that?
ALISTAIR WEAVER: That was very cool.
I could see the little whites of your eyes as we drew alongside.
Then he was just--
it was that classic electric car thing.
It just didn't quite keep pulling
when the revs started to rise.
I just got you in the second half.
CARLOS LAGO: I mean, yeah, that's definitely arrow,
definitely gearing, definitely all those things.
It's remarkable to see these two incredibly different vehicles--
an SUV, a sports car, EV, naturally aspirated V8,
we had a transmission-- doing the exact same thing
until about 80 miles an hour, maybe 70 miles an hour.
That's so cool.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: I reckon I had more fun doing it, though.
Just, a, for the noise, but b, for the fact that it
has a little fish tail off the line,
then each time, it smashes through the gear.
But it's a tremendous thing.
I love this 'Vette.
I really do.
CARLOS LAGO: I think the Model Y more than makes up
with that with the fart noises.
[CAR MAKING A FARTING SOUND]
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Did you remember to fart off the line?
Because I think that might have made the difference for you.
CARLOS LAGO: That was really cool,
seeing the cars just keep pace right next
to each other the entire run except for the end.
If this thing had a second gear, it'd probably keep pace.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: It's funny in the tight cam
to feel that gear kick in.
It's kind of weird in an electric car.
CARLOS LAGO: Yeah, it's strange, but that's exactly where
that thing would pull ahead.
It's so cool.
[HONKING]
CREW: All right, counting down the drivers in 3, 2, 1, go!
CARLOS LAGO: Oh, I got the lead.
I got the lead!
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Woo, it's going to fly this time.
Come on!
CARLOS LAGO: Can I hold onto it?
Oh, no, it's a photo finish-- no, it's not a photo finish.
Oh, this.
Nope, I lost.
It was not a photo finish.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: I didn't get the best traction off the line.
You should have heard my pathetic little squeals
because I didn't get the best of starts, and you were ahead.
This is so much fun.
CARLOS LAGO: The thing is, I'd wager, in the real world,
the Model Y is going to be faster
when you want to show off to your friends at a stoplight
because you have to enter launch control in the Corvette.
But in the Model Y, you just step on the go
pedal as hard as possible.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: I think that's a fair point.
If you launch like this in the real world
with the read end fishtailing and the engine screaming,
yeah, you're going straight to a conversation with the powers
that be.
CARLOS LAGO: I think I'd still rather be in the Corvette,
though.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah, this thing is so much fun.
Just think, we got 10 years to enjoy this.
[HONKING]
CARLOS LAGO: Hopefully, longer.
Get it while it's hot.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: I'm going to spend the next 10
years of my life saving up for a GT3 Touring
and then just by the very last one, dirt cake blue, matte,
keep it forever.
CARLOS LAGO: Drive off into the sunset.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: With the last drop of petrol.
CARLOS LAGO: We should do a rolling race
to see how big of a launch plays into the Model Y's
acceleration, because I basically am next to you
from the start.
And then die off as speeds increase.
So I suspect that, from a rolling race,
you'd probably pull ahead much more quickly.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah, that would make sense
unless the Tesla's instantaneous torque has a bearing.
I might need to be in the right gear.
CARLOS LAGO: So in this race, we're
going to get to about 30 or 40 miles an hour
or so, both nail it as soon as we step on the gas--
or as soon as we cross the start line, I meant to say.
All right, here we go.
30 miles an hour, and then let's see what happens.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: So rolling race, third time, about 35,
and nail it.
This is a-- yeah, still controls great.
CARLOS LAGO: Oh, as soon as you get to about 80 miles an hour
or so, it's just done.
It's just done.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah, I did use kick down there rather
than holding it on the manuals.
And it's interesting, I think it's only really
when you get to about 70 miles an hour, that kind of area,
that this thing really starts to pull away.
CARLOS LAGO: I was thinking this would certainly be faster
through a Whole Foods parking lot,
and considering it's a compact SUV,
and that's a sports car, maybe that totally makes sense.
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah, it's much better
for frightening the family.
CARLOS LAGO: Back at the Edmunds test track,
we saw similar performance from these two cars.
Under ideal conditions, the Corvette's launch control
helped it get to 60 miles an hour faster than the Model
Y at 3.2 seconds with a one foot rollout versus the Tesla's 3.4
seconds.
That gap increased slightly during the course of the best
acceleration run, as the Corvette beat the Model Y
Performance Performance to the quarter mile
by just under half a second.
And surprise-- the sports car showed better braking
performance and generated more lateral acceleration
than the compact luxury SUV.
The Corvette consistently stopped
from 60 miles an hour shorter than the Tesla
during repeated emergency braking
runs with a gap from seven to nine feet or so.
The Corvette's 1.08 average lateral G around our skid pad
was very strong, too, but hey, a 0.95 G average
is pretty impressive from an SUV.
So, Alistair, I think we've proven that the Model Y is
a fast, competent compact SUV, and the Corvette
is a fast, competent sports car.
Right?
ALISTAIR WEAVER: Absolutely, what a wonderful piece
of journalism.
CARLOS LAGO: Hey, somebody's got to do it.
Thank you guys for watching.
If you want to see more videos like this,
let us know in the comments below.
If you want to see more drag races,
tell us the cars you want to see drag race.
More drag racing.
It's good times.
Good times for everybody.
See you next time, kids.
[HONKING]